[keiferski]

Why is shattering this illusion a good thing? Especially if a 'false', heroic impression of someone inspires you to achieve great things, or act more virtuously, that you otherwise wouldn't have done.

There's a difference between 'hero worship' and 'hero inspiration', IMO. The difficult part is getting rid of the former while not destroying the latter in the process.

[exergy]

I think the parent may have been sarcastic. I certainly hope so. Life was much better before my idols had entirely mundane Instagram feeds.

[freeflight]

Imho it can be very misleading to think of Instagram feeds, or any social media for that matter, as "private life".

Many social media users are very self-conscious and calculating with the "image" they are building with particular accounts.

It's all feeding into this idea of perfect infallible human beings, as supposedly showcased on social media, but in reality, such humans simply don't exist.

Particularly in the context that often it's our flaws that define us as humans, not being able to admit to having any does not strike me as a healthy and rational attitude.

[exergy]

Ah, no, I have the opposite problem!

For instance, musicians one really likes, one projects them into images of saints. Then they're out their putting selfies on, sharing insipid quotes or just generally seeking validation, and the mirage crumbles a bit.